How The House Hunt Went Down

We were not really "looking" for a house, we had taken a break and were just enjoying the winter, skiing, and having free weekends. We had seen the house before online and driven past but kept thinking it just wasn't the right time. At the beginning of March I looked at pictures online of the house again and really liked it, my brain said "just wait" but my heart whispered "why not look?" I asked Charlie if he thought we should look at it, just to look, he easily agreed and set up an appointment with the listing agent.

I was nervous and excited all day leading up to the appointment to see the house, but didn't tell anyone because I was tired of telling people how excited I was and having a house be a dud. As soon as we walked in my brain and heart both screamed "Never leave, you belong here." We were literally standing in the front doorway and I still had my boots on, but I never wanted to leave. Of course I couldn't say that to the listing agent so I  kept it to myself. Every room we looked at was great, and if not great it had potential. On the way home Charlie and I talked about what we loved (a lot of stuff) and what we didn't love (minor things that could be changed; i.e. paint colors). I say we talked, but mostly I yelled and waved my hands around excitedly.

We contacted a family friend, Debbie, who is a realtor and she took over the rest. We could not have done this without her. I am so appreciative of her help, it's been such a good thing having someone who knows Charlie and I (from parties, weddings, and my blog) to advise us and just know what we're feeling even if we don't exactly know. She said before she even set foot in the house she looked at pictures online and felt like the house said "Charlie and Lauren." I've also felt that some people we had worked with in the past were not exactly genuine and didn't really know or get us. Debbie gets us, and has been a huge help.

After seeing the house for the first time we set up an appointment to see it the following day with Debbie, just as she suspected it seemed like a Charlie and Lauren house, and I felt even more like it was home. All of the other houses we'd looked at had felt just nice. None felt like "home" to me. Until this one. Debbie informed us that there was another offer on the house and said if we wanted it we needed to make an offer soon, and make a strong offer.

On the drive home Charlie and I didn't talk at all, we just thought to ourselves. Over dinner we finally both spilled the beans and said we really wanted to live there. We talked about what would happen if we did get it, and what would happen if we didn't. We figured out how much we could afford, and what everything would cost. Then we said let's do it, if it's meant to be it wil happen, if not then we'll just keep looking. That night Debbie wrote up the paperwork for us to make an offer, e-mailed it to us, we signed it, and the next morning I nervously faxed it to her from the office fax machine. A teacher I work with had to help me figure out how to make the fax machine work and I told him quietly that we were making an offer on a house and how nervous I was. That was my excuse at least for not knowing how to fax something, really I just don't know how to use one.

The day went by pretty quickly which surprised me since I thought it would be slow as molasses. I checked my phone and e-mail several more times that day than I typically do (which is already a lot). After school Penny and I went running and we waited for my brother to come to visit. Just as we heard Garrett yell from the street outside (he doesn't have a cell phone so he just yells) my phone rang with Debbie's number. The knot in my stomach instantly got tighter. Debbie said "Just wondering if you can rent a Uhaul on April 23rd?" It took me a few seconds for that to sink in; I think even if she had said "You got the house" it would have taken a few moments.

Debbie said that the other couple who put an offer on the house had had a simular offer. She then informed me that the reason the seller picker us was because they have been living in an apartment closer to their new jobs and their apartment address was the same as our apartment address. It all felt very serendipitous, like everything that was meant to happen was happening. That night we hung out and I kept saying "I can't believe we got the house" over and over again. The weekend was filled with skiing with Garrett and our friends. We shared the news with them and they were very excited for us.

The home inspection was the following week. I was very nervous for this. The last house we almost bought had a terrible home inspection; which prompted us to not buy the house and to seriously re-evaluate what types or houses we were looking at. I didn't want that to happen again. Luckily, the opposite happened. The home inspector pointed out small areas of need, and told me that either we could do it or a carpenter (like my dad) could easily fix the problems. He also kept saying what a good house it was. That was very reassuring.

Charlie has done the money stuff, while I do the "fix it" stuff. He has a good relationship with the mortgage consultant and keeps assuring me that things are in order. That brings us up until now. I am counting down the days until we can move. Until then I am pinning lots of ideas for room colors and a garden in the back yard. I've also been checking Craigslist often to see if they have any zero point turning lawn mowers. I told Charlie I would happily mow the lawn (and our neighbor's) if he bought me one.

I probably wouldn't mow the lawn in a pea coat and skirt though. 

Thanks for sharing in our excitement. We'll keep you posted on the details. 

Lauren